More Indians are being educated and receiving aid in voluntary relocation than ever before in history, Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay pointed out today in commenting on the annual report submitted by Commissioner of Indian Affairs Glenn L, Emmons.
The Indian Commissioner told of the increased emphasis which the Department placed on Indian education and the voluntary relocation, as well as other facets of the Bureau's many-sided program for the year just ending,
Two other activities, formerly with the Indian Bureau, are receiving greater emphasis under a revised setup. The Public Health Service, which took over the improvement of Indian health on July 1 as authorized by Congress, has set up a special division for Indian health in its organization. In other fields, the Bureau has entered into contracts with various State farm and home extension units where Indians live to take over activities locally which were formerly handled by the Bureau.
By expanding education facilities for Indian youth, the Department is solving the problem of providing school instruction for the youngsters who want and need it. In the Navajo county, where 13,000 children were out of school just two years ago, the enrollment was stepped up, through the Department's Navajo emergency education program, from 14,765 at the end of fiscal year 1953 to 23,679 in fiscal 1955, All told, education is being provided for over 100,000 Indian children across the Nation in public schools, Federal schools operated by the Indian Bureau, and by mission schools on or near the reservations.
More Indians sought and received help in relocating themselves and their families in 1955 than ever before. Under the voluntary relocation program, Indians are aided in moving off their reservations to better employment areas, and helped to find jobs and housing. About 3,500 Indians were assisted to relocate during 1955. This included 2,656 persons in 708 family groups, and 805 unattached men and women, The total number of relocatees represents a 60 percent increase over any previous year since the program was begun in 1952.
Commissioner Emmons reported good progress in 1955 in carrying out the provisions of 1954 laws which provide for eventual termination of Federal trusteeship and special services at six tribal jurisdictions. In one of these areas, the Alabama-Coushatta of Texas, Federal responsibilities were brought to an end on June 30, 1955.
Other tribes affected by such laws were the Menominee Tribe of 'Wisconsin, the Klamath Tribe of Oregon, a number of bands and groups in Western Oregon, the mixed-blood Utes of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation of Utah, and four Paiute Bands of Utah. The preparation of tribal rolls, when called for by Congress, was made by the tribes or by the Department of the Interior when one tribe could not agree which names should go on the roll. The rolls designate those Indians who are entitled to a share in the tribal assets. Arrangements were made by the Bureau with State educational authorities in Wisconsin, Oregon and Utah for adult education courses to help the members of the tribe to earn a livelihood, to conduct their own affairs, and to assume their responsibilities as citizens without special services because of their being Indians.
Aside from termination, the Bureau continued its long-range rehabilitation program for the Navajo-Hopi Indians of Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. The program, now in its fifth year, took further strides in education, conservation and survey of resources, irrigation and road improvement.
Social workers among the Indians helped provide foster homes for children of broken families, and helped find suitable guardians to watch over their affairs and property.
In the irrigation activities of the Indian Bureau, some 8,300 acres of new lands were provided with irrigation facilities; and, the expansion of other irrigation facilities provided another 19,500 acres with a stable and supplementary water supply.
The Bureau's forestry branch supervised the cutting of 518 million board feet of Indian lumber, which had a value of over $8.5 million.
The Bureau entered into contracts with 11 of the 18 States where it has extension and home demonstration programs for the States to take over the projects formerly handled by the Indian Bureau. Extension workers under this program assist the Indian in adopting better farm practices1 improving crop varieties, controlling insects and plant diseases, bettering the condition of their soil by fertilizing, and in producing better livestock.
The Bureau continued to build new and improve old roads on reservations. In 24 States, the Bureau graded and drained 264 miles of reservation roads, surfaced 349 miles, and constructed 950 running feet of bridges. In addition, the Bureau built 172 miles of new roads. The Bureau's road maintenance program for the year just past included surface maintenance, snow removal, flood damage repairs, and repairs to bridges on 18,446 miles of Bureau roads.
A credit program for those Indians who were unable, because of a lack of acceptable collateral or for some other reason, to obtain financing from private sources was maintained by the Bureau. The Bureau's credit program is conducted mainly from two funds - tribal money and a revolving loan fund appropriated by Congress. For the first time in history, the amount of tribal funds used for credit purposes exceeded the amount of loans made from Government money.
The building program conducted by the Bureau was mainly the providing or expanding of school facilities for youngsters who previously had no satisfactory school opportunities.
The Arts and Crafts Board continued to promote the economic welfare of Indians by focusing education on better commercial methods, encouraging high quality products, and protecting the Indians and the buying public from cheap imitations.
